Tofo 10 Nights / 18 Dives

Day 1
Today you will fly from Lanseria, Johannesburg, to Inhambane, Mozambique.  You will be met at the Inhambane airport and transferred to Praia do Tofo. The drive from the Inhambane Airport to Praia do Tofo takes just under an hour. The journey flies by though as you will be soaking up the culture of Mozambique. As you drive through the market streets of Inhamane and pass the locals selling handmade wooden carvings, pottery and more you will soon find yourself arriving in Tofo, whale shark mecca of the world.

 Check in at your guesthouse, Café No Mar.
Café No Mar is a luxury owner managed guesthouse that will take care of your every need. Complimentary transfers to and from the town centre and dive centre is available several times a day.
After check in, pop in at the dive centre to discuss your dive program for the next few days.

Rest of the day at your leisure.

Day 2
This will be your first diving day. After an early breakfast at your guesthouse you will set off to the dive centre.
Today is the day that you will first hand experience the efficiency, professionalism and safety conscious regimes of our preferred dive centre. If you are not an experienced diver you are welcome to ask the dive master for a sweeper to look out for you especially.  The dive centre always tries to accommodate for your every diving need including giving you quality dive gear, fully filled up tanks etc. If you haven’t dived during the last six months the dive centre will ask you to do a quick refresher with them.  Should you wish to partake in dives deeper than 18 meters and you are not an Advanced Diver than a quick 2 hour course can qualify you as a deep diver. With the Deep Diver certification you can safely dive sought after reefs like Manta Reef.

On most days your dive schedule will consist of a double tank dive in the morning. The first dive of the two will be a deep dive such as Manta Reef and the second dive will be a shallower dive such as Simons Town or Chamber of Secrets.

Day 3
Today you might decide to do a single tank dive and a whale shark snorkel? Any dives included in this package may be exchanged for whale shark snorkel trips.  This package includes a total of 18 dives.

Day 4
Another day to explore the marine rich waters of Mozambique. Back from your first dive you will have time to enjoy brunch or a quick snack should you be one of many divers preferring to eat after their dive.  Get ready for your second dive of the day and make some bubbles!

Usually dive groups get together at 07:00AM and 14:00PM.  Whale shark safaris available at 11:00AM.  Times are estimates and will be confirmed each day for the next day’s dive program.
Note the 1st dive of the day could be a double tank dive resulting in 3 dives for the day (depending on dive centre). The second tank will be optional and payable directly at the dive centre.
Rest of the day at your leisure.

Day 5
Will today bring another dive to Manta Reef? If that’s your dive of choice for the day the here is a taste of what you can experience.
Manta Reef is Tofo’s showcase dive. World famous for the two Manta cleaning stations, first discovered by Carlos do Rocha in the 1960’s. Since then this site has attracted marine biologists, cameramen and divers from around the world.

Generally the visibility is between 10 and 30 metres with an average of 20 metres. The water temperature in the Indian Ocean varies from 29 to 23 C. All our dive sites feature an abundance of coral and are all reef dives.

Distance to Travel: 22km. Depth: 21 to 26 meters. Max: 26 meters . Time of Travel: 50 minutes . Bottom Time: 32 minutes . Visibility: 10 to 30m. Nitrox: EanX 40. General: Tofo’s showcase dive. World famous for the two Manta cleaning stations, first discovered by Carlos do Rocha in the 1960’s. Since then this site has attracted marine biologists, cameramen and divers from around the world. A gentle drift dive from North to South, your dive begins with a negative entry into 26m into the middle of a small amphitheatre teeming with life. The dive progresses through a series of pinnacles before the first cleaning station is reached, a shallower (21m) sandy area. At this cleaning station Mantas circle overhead to be cleaned by Goldies, Cleaner Wrasse and Butterfly fish. In good visibility this dive is amazing with upwards of ten Mantas circling overhead. Even in poor vis the sight of Mantas appearing from the mist above you is haunting and a moment to be cherished. At the end of the dive your ascent is often accompanied by groups of inquisitive Devil Rays wheeling about your safety stop. This dive is a must do in Tofo. Because of the depth this is only suitable for advanced divers but is a favourite for people completing their advanced course or deep adventure dive. Ask about nitrox.

Day 6 to 10
Enjoy these days swimming with whale sharks and scuba diving with the mantas of Praia do Tofo.
Here’s a taster of what your whale shark safaris might bring;
Praia do Tofo is well known for its incredible whale shark diving opportunities. Definitely one of the top places in the world to encounter the majestic whale sharks, divers are starting to slowly but surely rediscover Mozambique. You do not even need a PADI or other dive qualifications to dive with these amazing gentle giants. You can simply swim or snorkel with them and marvel in their awesome size and beauty. Ocean safaris take place daily and are about 2 to 3 hours long. Whale Sharks are known to be seen all year round but the waters are heavily populated during the Mozambique summer months (September – February). Please note that February is the known time of year for Cyclones so if you do come then there is a chance of being caught up in a cyclone. Obviously the visibility drops dramatically during this month if cyclones do hit the coast.

Please remember to dive responsibly with whale sharks. Your dive master will remind you about the rules regarding diving with whale sharks such as how close you are allowed to approach the whale shark, touching the whale shark etc. Be a safe and responsible diver because even though the whale sharks show no threat to divers they are very powerful sharks and should be respected. Please always ask to make sure before booking whether you are likely to see whale sharks during your future visit as not to be disappointed by arriving out of season or in a bad season. This is very important as many divers come to Mozambique especially to swim with the whale shark.

Day 11
This morning you will enjoy the beaches and scenery of Praia do Tofo and say good bye.  Take a last trip to the town centre’s market to buy some wooden carvings or maybe a colourful sarong for friends back home. Mid day you will be transferred to Inhambane airport for your flight to JHB.  Services end upon arrival back at Johannesburg.